Known for scores of award-winning museum designs and for research and cultural buildings worldwide, Scott Newman, FAIA, leader of the cultural and educational practice at Cooper Robertson, will help keynote the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) conference. MAAM is a major national museum conference set for Feb. 25 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C.
The Building Museums Symposium 2017 keynote panel entitled "Transforming the Whitney" brings together Newman and other experts from the project team. They’ll discuss why the renowned museum moved to a new neighborhood in Manhattan, how it developed new approaches for displaying art, and its unique urban interconnections and novel solutions for storm and flood protection.
In the keynote panel address, Newman will discuss the design and planning process for the new Whitney — acclaimed as one of the most important new museum buildings to open in years -- and the lessons learned in its development. He will be joined by the co-panelists Larissa Gentile, project manager for the Whitney, as well as Andrew Thomann of Turner Construction.
“Museum design is often emblematic of an evolving relationship with society, with significant shifts in recent decades toward visitor experience, community involvement, and connectivity,” said Newman, who is currently designing museums in St. Louis and New York. "Innovation in architecture, engineering, technology, and building materials has enabled these shifts, placing the new Whitney Museum of American Art at the forefront of the latest generation of cultural facilities."
Cooper Robertson is one of the leading U.S. architecture and design firms for cultural and museum facilities, with 38-plus museum projects around the United States and abroad.
